Shadows of the Past and Future
by G0nna6oF4rK1D
Summary: How many times can someone suffer and come out unscarred? How many trials can someone bare and still survive? In a world where Time is both your ally and enemy, can one have what it takes to keep from losing everything? In a everyday fight for survival can you overcome the many challenges that await you. Can you truly understand survival when you are fighting for the ones you love?
1. Chapter 1

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for helping out.**_

* * *

Clementine woke up with a start. She was fully alert.

With a yawn, the child sat up. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she made her way to her feet and walked over to a nearby window.

It was still dark outside. She assumed it was either late into the night or really early in the morning, since the sun had yet to rise.

She could hear a noise coming from outside. Startled, she walked outside to find out what the noise was.

She was surprised to see two figures standing by the truck that Kenny had just gotten started.

"Who's there?" She called, trying to put on a tough front.

She pulled out her gun as she slowly took a couple steps toward the figures.

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Mike?"

"Easy. Easy now." Mike said, slowly inching towards her.

"Step back." Clementine ordered, aiming the gun at him.

"Clem. Shit." Mike swore.

"What are you doing?" Clementine asked, looking puzzled.

"I got the rest of it." Another voice was heard.

Clementine quickly trained her gun on the person. "Bonnie?"

"Clem..." Bonnie said.

"We're just leaving... Now keep it down alright. Nobody else has to get involved." Mike said to the young girl.

Clementine glanced to the bags that Mike and Bonnie were carrying. The girl frowned, "That's everything we have..."

"Listen, we just gotta get away from that guy, Clem. Okay?" Mike said.

Clementine glanced towards the house behind her before looking back to Mike. "Who, Kenny?"

"Clem, dammit, just... we don't have time for this." Mike huffed in annoyance.

"Just... Just be quiet, Clem, please." Bonnie pleaded with the child.

"All right, Clem..." Mike mumbled. "Now I'm going to walk up to you nice and slow and you're gonna give me the gun, okay? And then we'll talk."

"W-Why are you doing this?" Clementine stammered as Mike started making his way towards her.

"He didn't give us any choice." Mike said.

Arvo uttered something that Clementine couldn't understand before spatting at the ground.

"Just give me the gun, Clem. I'm not gonna hurt you." Mike said, slowly approaching the child. "Easy..."

"I'll shoot." Clementine threatened.

Mike, however, called her bluff and continued to take slow steps towards the girl. "There we go... There we go..."

Clementine was hesitant, but she handed over her weapon.

The little girl looked up to the man, fear in her eyes.

"It's fine." Mike reassured the child. "Just-"

He was cut off as a gunshot rang out.

"NO!" Mike cried in horror.

For a second, Clementine didn't even know what hit her. She felt a sudden pain course through her small form, and for a moment it felt as if time had stopped. The bullet hit her, and she instantly felt her warm bodily fluid seeping from the wound. Pain erupting through her as she fell. She hit the ground. She laid panting.

She was dying... She was sure of it.

"Oh, my... Clem! Clem!" Bonnie yelled, panicking.

Clementine could see Mike and Bonnie rushing over. The two stood about her fallen body, while Bonnie tried to get a response from the child.

"Bonnie, we have to go." Mike grabbed hold of the woman's arm but she pulled away.

"Don't you touch me." Bonnie snapped before kneeling beside the young girl on the ground. "I'm... I'm so sorry. I... I didn't mean for this to happen."

Clementine wanted to speak, but she couldn't find the strength to.

She suddenly heard a door open, followed by a voice saying, "Oh my god, Clem... What the FUCK did you do?!"

It was Kenny.

"Clem... What did you DO?! Clem... CLEM!"

She could hear rushed footsteps coming towards her, followed by some panicked shouts. Her vision grew dark and she could hear voices around her. Her name... Someone was yelling her name.

That was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

* * *

Clementine woke up in a cold sweat, frightened, and panicked.

She grazed her shoulder with her fingertips. To her surprised, she found no wound. No blood, no bandages, nothing.

She sat up and looked around at her surroundings. She was in a bed. A comfortable bed...

The room was familiar, and she quickly realized why. This was her room. She was confused. How did she end up here? Had everything just been a dream?

Clementine forced herself out of bed, stepping on something as she stood. The girl flinched. She picked up the object and saw it was a crayon. She looked down and noticed a familiar coloring book with a half-finished page.

The girl swallowed, looking around the room. She froze as she noticed a figure in the corner. A person... Curious she made her way over to them.

Clementine moved closer and noticed a young girl. Something seemed off as she looked.

Her eyes widened as she realized, that girl was her... She knew that. However, she was covered in blood and slightly older than what Clementine appeared to be now... The child in front of her was ten... Maybe eleven...

Clementine glanced down at her own clothes, they were completely clean of blood...

Clementine looked back at the girl intently, locking eyes with her older self.

Clementine took a cautious step towards the girl and jumping in fear when the girl did the same, taking a step forward, as well.

Ignoring her fear, she took a few more baby steps forward and again the older girl mimicked her with the same steps at the same time, just like a reflection would.

Clementine walked forward until she stood directly in front of the girl.

Clementine shudder over the serious face of the older girl, she stared at her blood covered face and clothes, her hardened eyes that had seen things no child should ever see…

Clementine reached out a hand, watching as the girl did the same. The two touched hands.

Suddenly, her head began to spin as vision flashed before her eyes. People dying… People she cared about.

Clementine shook uncontrollably as memories swam around her head.

She managed to gasp before she gave a scream—and fainted.

* * *

Clementine woke in a panic. She shot up straight in the bed, letting out a shrill scream.

Moments later she heard rushed footsteps across the floor.

The child was confused. She trembled in fear, heart pounding as she suddenly heard the door open.

Clenching her eyes shut, the girl starting to struggle as she felt someone grab her.

She didn't understand what was going on. The girl started to shout. "No! No! Let me go!"

"Clementine, honey, stop it. It's okay." The voice was a male's. Clementine knew that voice.

"Open your eyes, baby... Everything is okay now." A woman said.

Clementine's eyes snapped open and her lips trembled as she spoke in surprise, "M-Mommy? Daddy?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Big thanks to WalkingDeadRox for Roleplaying with me through this. Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help as well.**_

* * *

Clementine was confused. There was no way this could be happening… Her parents were standing right in front of her.

"Clementine, sweetie, what happened?" Diana asked the child. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Y-You're alive…" Clementine muttered, so quiet it went unheard.

"Are you alright, Clem?" Ed asked.

"We heard you scream..." Diana said. "Did you have a bad dream, baby?"

Clementine's eyes widened when she saw them, taking in their concerned faces. She was so surprised. She thought they were dead.

"Hey... Everything's alright now." Ed said in a reassuring tone. "Want to tell us what your dream was about?"

"M-Monsters..." Clementine said.

"Aww... Honey, how many times do we have to tell you, monsters aren't real." Diana said.

"They... They looked real." Clementine said.

"I know..." Ed said. "But you know what... The good thing about a dream is that when you wake up, all the scary things disappear."

"I... I... I guess you're right." Clementine said.

Clementine didn't know if it was all a dream… It had felt so real… but what other explanation was there?

"How about you try to go back to sleep?" Diana said. "We'll leave the door cracked."

Clementine shook her head in response. "Please stay." Clementine said with pleading eyes.

"Alright, honey. We'll stay until you fall asleep." Diana agreed.

"Thank you..." Clementine said. She laid back down on the bed and curled up into a ball. She made sure that her parents stayed in sight.

"Of course." Ed said. He and Diana took a seat on the bed, waiting patiently for the child to fall asleep.

Clementine was worried that if she fell back to sleep her parents wouldn't be there anymore, but soon enough she drifted off.

Ed and Diana shared concerned glances. Making sure the child was asleep, they got up and started to leave the room. Diana made sure to leave the door cracked in case Clementine woke up again.

"Well… I'm guessing she had a pretty bad dream…." Ed said.

"Sure seemed like it…" Diana agreed. They knew nightmares were common in young children.

"I guess she'll feel better in the morning…" Ed said.

"I sure hope so…" Diana replied. "I hate seeing her cry."

"Me too…" Ed nodded. "Anyway, we should get to bed."  
"Alright." Diana said.

The two of them headed off to bed, both hoping that when morning came Clementine would feel better.

Clementine managed to sleep through the rest of the night. It had been so long since the child actually laid in a bed. And it felt like forever since she was actually comfortable enough to sleep through the night.

* * *

Morning soon came and she opened her eyes. She looked around the room with a curious look. She was still in her home.

That was good. Maybe it all was just a bad dream.

That had to be it… Why else would she be safe in sound in her bedroom?

The child climbed from her bed and started to leave her room, going to search for her parents.

She touched her doorknob with a bit of hesitation, almost as if she was scared the room would disappear. When her hand made contact with the doorknob, she felt a coldness coming from it. It felt so real.

She walked into the hallway and looked around. The house looked just like she remembered it.

She was stunned as she walked across the floor, looking to familiar surroundings. Family pictures on the wall, that she felt like she hadn't seen in years…

Clementine had been so homesick while she was away... She remembered nights at the motor inn where she had cried herself to sleep. Lee would comfort her, tell her everything was going to be alright. It would make her feel a little better, even though she knew it wasn't true...

But now she was home again. And everything was back to normal. It was completely out of her understanding how this was possible.

She frowned. What was going on?

She nearly jumped as she heard a noise… Voices? _Her parents._

She could hear them downstairs. Plus, she could smell the sweet aroma of food. She rushed toward the stairs to greet them.

She raced down the steps, eager to see her mommy and daddy. Once she was downstairs she rushed into the kitchen.

"Hey Clem." Her father greeted upon noticing her. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good." Clementine said.

"Morning, baby girl." Diana said.

It was weird. Clementine swore her parents were dead. She couldn't even describe what she was feeling right now. Excitement, confusion… "Umm... Morning..." She said back.

"Everything alright hon?" Ed asked.

Clementine quickly nodded in response.

Without another word she went to the table and sat down to eat breakfast with her family. All of this felt strange. She never thought she would eat something like this, and she never thought she would ever see her parents again.

Clementine felt a hand on her head. She looked up and heard her mother's voice. "She's not warm." Diana said.

"What's wrong?" Clementine asked her mother. She was feeling fine; she didn't understand why her mother was checking her temperature.

"We just want to make sure you're okay..." Ed said.

"You're acting like you're seeing ghosts." Diana said.

Clementine frowned. She felt like she was seeing ghosts. "I'm sorry..."

"It's alright honey. We're just worried." Diana said. "Maybe you're just a little spooked from last night's nightmare. Maybe you'll feel better if you get some food in you."

"Yeah... Okay..." Clementine said. During their meal she kept stealing glances at her parents. She wanted to ask was this real, but she was sure that would make her parents even more worried.

Breakfast soon came to an end and Diana sent her daughter a smile. "How about you go play in the tree-house for a bit?"

"Uh... I don't know..." Clementine didn't want to go anywhere near that tree-house. However, she wanted to make sure the yard was the same. "I'm going to play tea party instead…"

"Alright, hon. You go play along." Ed said.

Clementine went outside after a brief hesitation.

The girl explored the backyard, surprised to see everything was the same as she remembered.

This was definitely her house. But it was completely untouched… As if the walkers never happened. Clementine tried to ignore the weirdness of the situation and kept looking around.

She felt her heart ache a bit as she walked around the yard, remembering how she heard Lee's voice calling for help. This was where she had met _Lee._ Had that all just been a dream? Was her guardian never real to began with? Had she dreamed of losing her parents and being protected by that man, who she had come to love like a father?

She finally looked to her tree-house, remembering how she had hid up there for days. She remembered how scared she had been, being all alone in a tree-house. Sandra had given her some food and told her to hide and not come out, no matter what she heard. When she heard Sandra's screams she had known something bad had happened... she was too scared to find out what.

Clementine started to climb the ladder however, before she could get to the top she heard a voice.

"Lunch time!" Diana called from the sliding door.

The child flinched, letting go of the ladder. Fortunately, she was only on the second rung she she didn't get hurt. She looked over to her mother, who was waiting at the door.

Clementine was actually happy and surprised to have another meal. She remembered going some days without a meal. Maybe it really was just a strange nightmare.

The child ran towards the house, heading inside.

Diana said. "Have fun out there?"

Clementine quickly nodded. "Yeah. It was fun."

"Good." Diana said. She placed a plate in front of the child and she sighed. "Well... As a little reminder, your father and I will be leaving for Savannah tomorrow. Sandra will be coming over to look after you."

Clementine's eyes widened. "Please don't go!"

"Sweetie, it'll only be a few days." Diana said with a sympathetic stare aimed at Clementine.

"And you will get to play with Sandra instead of being around the two boring adults." Ed said.

Clementine shook her head, "Please don't leave!" The child started crying.

"Oh honey..." Diana said. She pulled out the chair next to her and hugged the whimpering child. "It's alright. We'll be back in a few days and you like it when Sandra babysits you."

"I don't want the monsters to get you..." Clementine sobbed.

"Honey... monsters aren't real. Mommy and daddy will be fine." Diana said.

"N-No. You don't understand. I don't want you to become monsters..." The girl said through her tears.

"We won't become monsters either." Diana said as she rubbed circles on the girl's back. "Remember monsters are only in our bad dreams."

"I don't want you to go, mommy." Clementine said.

"It'll just be a few days, Clem. We won't be gone that long." Diana said.

Clementine frowned. Her parents weren't listening to her. It made her even sadder knowing that she couldn't stop them. They wouldn't listen to her. They wanted to go on vacation, and she knew they wouldn't believe her about the monsters.

"You'll have fun with Sandra. You always do." Diana said.

Clementine still didn't feel alright with this. She didn't want to lose her parents again, but she had that nagging voice in the back of her head. If she somehow managed to keep them from going to Savannah, how will she keep them safe from the other threats like the St Johns and Carver... and what about Lee?

"It will be alright, baby." Ed said.

"I... I hope so..." Clementine said with a frown.

Maybe things would be different... Maybe somehow her parents would survive.


End file.
